Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-08-05
CHAPTER VIu.-HAIL, AND FAREWELL To
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| mistake
| CHAPTER VIrI.-HAIL, AND FAREWELL To
CIVILIZATION.
Leaving with regret Don Fenokio and
| his interesting family, We posted on for the
cotton mills Of Nin, which Ne had first seen
on our first day in the hills We rode along
| the hill crests beneath us we could see the
| ruins Of an old settlement, the reduction
works Of Santa Anna the headquarters of
the English company that ventured in this
| region nearly sixty years ago, All is in II
state of decay bananas and sugar cane
| growing where once the circling mules trol
| the silver paste in the patio yet the com
| pany that erected the massive walls and
sank the shafts in the mountains expended
| $500, 900 in this state alone. We met one
of the old miners, a few days later, who
| told us of those flush times with sparkle
| in his eye.
"Ah, gentlemen, those were rich times
indeed money in plenty, and little labor.
! Gold 81, SsHores, in abundance, and
without the trouble of digging o, no
We didn't get il out of the mines, we pour
ed it into them, No, indeed, all our gold
| came from England we never sent any
back Somebody in England must have
lost money in that venture but it WASH I
the miners
1t was dark 10y the time We reached the
ridge above Ma valley, aud We lost the
trail leading into it, cropping our way
| through thick scrub in "A terrible thunder
storm The barking Of some watchful
dogs, who would have caused it to fare
hard with us, had we been a-foot, guided
us 10 the factory, and we arrived there in a
drenched condition, notwithstanding our
mditgtS de aqua, or rubber coats. The
Jolly engineer, he who had described his al
ventures in gold hunting ON Orizaba mount
ain, entertained Us that night, and in the
MOI ming we rode over the hills 10 Oaxaca.
Not man We met ON that journey have
seen since, though we later heard that the
fair Soledad was awaiting the photographs
| of the iHcricdn0S with impatience.
Don Fenokio, it is true, as representative
to Congress, has since visited the City of
Mexico narrowly escaping the naturalstl,
three years later, and leaving "A request
for book the latter had written, which
was forwarded to Oaxaca with the author'-
compliments.
"Do YOU know, said the chief 10 me one
evening, in the plaza, "the contiguration OF
this country, Mexico, comedies most re
mafkably with that of a cornucopia p
True had never thought of it be
fore-but it does"
"And if we believe native traditions, il
is a veritable horn of plenty"
Yes
"Well, it ought to be-"
"Why Z"
because. the United States and EnglanC
alone have poured money enough into it t.
make one sixty millions in railways thirty
millions in mining investments, and perhaps
ten millions or more in other speculations.
"The big end of this horn plenty" in
terpolated the mineralogist, ''is open to
wards the United States F.; the money goe
in that end, but the investors always com,
out Of the little end of this Mexican horn.
Too true I" sighed the chief 1--WE hav,
individually contributed something toward
swelling the ultimate aggregate-not les
than $500; but we must not let this dis
courage us; have a horrible suspicion
the mineralogist let his ears droop at this
the naturalist prompted him, as he hesitat
ed-''a horrible suspicion-that we were OF
the wrong track all the time, continue,
the chief
"Wrong track-all the time =
{ eyes ! have been reading the Letter
% of Cort6s' over again carefully, and | ca
now positively locate the site of the ancien
4 mine-without a doubt"
1 The naturalist and mineralogist locke
4 their incredulity.
Ignoring them, the chief went on "
ann so firmly convinced that | can find tn
r. locality, that | will defray all the expense
S of the expedition. Our course will be fun
ther south than the first trail and, as W
D saw on our other trip no carriages of an
I kind, nor track wide enough for wheels, i